A $10 Soil Test Goes Global With Virtual Reality Training for Farmers

By Mohammed Elmorsy and Samuel Mugo

Last year, we described Agrilo, an affordable "colorimetric" soil-testing system developed through research at MacEwan University. Using a smartphone camera to interpret color changes, Agrilo measures soil nutrients and can provide farmers with timely guidance to support fertilizer decisions.

Our goal was to make practical soil information more accessible—so farmers could use fertilizer more efficiently, improve crop productivity and reduce unnecessary environmental impacts.

But affordability is only one part of successful agricultural innovation. For a technology to create value across different regions and farming conditions, users must also be able to learn its procedures confidently and apply them consistently.

So we developed Agrilo VR, a virtual reality training platform designed to support the wider adoption and standardized use of the soil-testing system.

Quality assurance on the farm

Agrilo uses a structured seven-stage testing protocol that guides users through soil preparation, reagent mixing, timing and color measurement. As with laboratory and field-based analytical methods generally, following a consistent procedure helps ensure we can compare results reliably across users and locations.